Chapter 29: The Rebellious Employee
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After eating and drinking their fill, the group lazily made their way out of the cafeteria.
“Old Wang, you’re not going back to the dorm again?” Chen Xiaobei asked, picking his teeth and casting Wang Can a sidelong glance.
Wang Can grinned. “Sorry about that. I’m going on a date with my cousin.”
“Damn!” Chen Xiaobei cursed, then asked eagerly, “Can I come along?”
Wang Can shrugged with exaggerated regret, his eyes gleaming mischievously. “No. My cousin only likes guys with long legs.”
“Damn you!” Chen Xiaobei stamped his feet in fury.
……
……
Wang Can strode lightly into the underground parking lot, where he spotted Xia Kewei waiting in the distance.
She was wearing the same well-tailored professional suit as always: a white blouse paired with a knee-length pencil skirt. Her entire appearance radiated competence and efficiency.
“You sang on the athletic field last night?”
On their way to the Logistics Department, Xia Kewei’s high heels struck the marble floor with a crisp, rhythmic cadence.
“Word travels fast. Even you heard about it?”
As soon as he finished speaking, Wang Can seemed to remember something and slapped his forehead.
“Right. Since you brought it up, I’ll send you the lyrics and sheet music later. Help me handle the copyright registration.”
“You really wrote it yourself?” Xia Kewei looked him over with mild surprise.
She had originally assumed the media had simply come up with the story to attract attention.
“It was only a song. Is it really that surprising?” Wang Can said without the slightest embarrassment.
“It wouldn’t be strange if someone else wrote a song. But you writing one is very strange indeed.” Xia Kewei fired back without mercy.
“What kind of image do I have in your mind?” Wang Can asked curiously.
Xia Kewei raised one hand and counted on her fingers. “Thicker-skinned than a city wall, unserious, stubborn, arrogant, and lecherous.”
“Can’t you see my glorious and imposing side?”
“Do you have one? Give me an example.”
Xia Kewei folded her arms and waited leisurely for his answer.
“Hmm…” Wang Can pretended to think for a moment, then counted on his fingers as well.
“Unyielding in the face of repeated setbacks, amiable, decisive, ambitious, and resolutely opposed to gambling, drugs, and vice.”
“Heh.”
……
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When the two arrived at the Logistics Department, Shao Wenrun was leisurely savoring the fragrance of his tea.
Seeing that there were other people in the room, Wang Can used an inspection as an excuse to invite Shao Wenrun to his stall in Canteen No. 2.
It was already past mealtime, and there were not many students in the cafeteria.
Once they entered the room, Wang Can took the black bag from Xia Kewei and placed it in Shao Wenrun’s hands with a smile.
“Teacher Shao, I really have to thank you for your advice last time. I’ve made a point of observing things these past few days, and the traffic at Canteen No. 2 is indeed considerably heavier than at Canteen No. 5.”
“Looks like doing business can’t rely on instinct alone. You’ve certainly taught me a lesson.”
Shao Wenrun opened the bag and glanced inside. Two packs of Zhonghua cigarettes, wrapped in red, immediately came into view.
His brows drew together slightly, and he was just about to refuse when Wang Can spoke first.
“Teacher Shao, there’s actually something else I’d like to ask you about.”
As he spoke, Wang Can took a pack of Zhonghua cigarettes he had lifted from Chen Xiaobei’s stash, expertly flicked one free, and offered it to Shao Wenrun.
“My father gave me a little money to practice with. Apart from cafeteria stalls, are there any other promising projects on campus? I mainly want to gain some experience and build a bit of a reputation while I’m at it.”
Only then did Shao Wenrun remember that the young man before him was no ordinary student. He was plainly a wealthy heir who spent money like water.
After years of making his way through the Logistics Department, he had grown accustomed to the cigarettes, liquor, tea, and other gifts brought by all kinds of people. Nothing about it surprised him anymore.
As long as no one crossed the line, he had always known how to maintain proper boundaries.
At that moment, he calmly took a drag and casually lifted the black bag to his side. His movements were as natural as if he had merely accepted an ordinary document.
Shao Wenrun inhaled deeply. The ember at the tip of his cigarette glowed and dimmed between his fingers. After a moment’s thought, he said, “If you truly want to make something of yourself and are willing to spend money, there really is a good opportunity.”
Wang Can had asked only in passing, but his interest immediately sharpened.
“Teacher Shao, please enlighten me.”
Shao Wenrun tapped the ash from his cigarette and spoke at an unhurried pace.
“You’re a freshman, so you may not know this, but there’s a National College Student Entrepreneurship Competition every year. Shen University has no shortage of money—or reputation—so the administration places great importance on the event. The university takes part every year, and its support is substantial.”
Wang Can had genuinely never heard of it. He hurriedly asked, “What are the requirements for entering? What specific prizes are there?”
“The requirements shouldn’t be especially demanding, and there are quite a few prizes.”
Shao Wenrun narrowed his eyes as he searched his memory. “Most teams probably care most about the Best Business Award. Once you win that, major enterprises will come afterward with real money to invest.”
He paused. “I don’t know the details very well either. Tell you what—I happen to know Teacher Zhang, who’s in charge of this area in the Youth League Committee. I’ll speak with him this afternoon and arrange a time for you to meet.”
After all, he had accepted two packs of cigarettes from Wang Can, so Shao Wenrun was taking the matter seriously.
Besides, the Youth League Committee genuinely needed high-quality entrepreneurial projects. In helping Wang Can, he was also simply taking advantage of an existing opportunity.
“Then I’ll have to thank you, Teacher Shao. If I run into anything I don’t understand in the future, I’ll be counting on your guidance.”
Wang Can thought to himself that Shao Wenrun truly was a veteran of the university’s commercial affairs. Not only did he have access to information, he could put you in touch with the right people almost immediately.
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If he could make it through the competition, gaining access to a useful network would certainly be worthwhile.
……
Before long, four students entered the shop one after another—two men and two women. They were all part-time candidates whom Shao Wenrun had helped recruit for interviews.
Hiring part-time workers in a university cafeteria was not easy, because many students felt it was beneath them.
But Wang Can was offering considerably more than the average wage, which was what attracted the four applicants.
Once they had arrived, Shao Wenrun tactfully took his leave.
He probably feared that having the intermediary present would put pressure on both sides.
Yet the moment he left, one of the young men learned that the owner was merely a freshman and turned around without a word.
Wang Can did not try to stop him. The young man looked several years older, and it was only natural that he would feel uncomfortable taking orders from an underclassman.
Wang Can turned to the remaining three.
“First, let me make one thing clear. The work at our shop is somewhat different from that at other stores. Besides the daily cafeteria duties, you’ll also be responsible for handing out flyers.”
As soon as he finished speaking, one of the girls cried out, “Ah! I’m sorry, but this job may not be suitable for me.”
With that, she left as well.
She could accept working in the cafeteria while wearing a mask and cap, but going outside to hand out flyers made her feel too embarrassed.
Wang Can rubbed his nose, looking slightly awkward.
Given the size of the shop, he had originally needed to hire two people. Now that another candidate had left, there seemed little point in continuing the interviews.
“How are the hours and pay for handing out flyers calculated?” the remaining girl suddenly asked.
The young man beside her was visibly stunned, apparently never having considered the question.
Wang Can studied the girl carefully. She had wheat-colored skin and neat, ear-length hair. Her features were ordinary, but her manner of speaking and conduct were poised and confident.
To be honest, if she had not brought it up herself, Wang Can would have simply assumed that the flyer distribution pay was included in the basic wage.
But now that someone had raised the issue, he would calculate it separately.
It was like going to a supermarket where certain items came with complimentary gifts. If you did not ask for them, the salesperson would not offer them to you.
Wang Can had no objection to hiring such a “difficult” employee. As long as she could get the job done, that was all that mattered.
“The hours for handing out flyers are flexible, but you’ll have to complete a weekly quota of five hundred. The pay is thirty cents per flyer.”
As he spoke, Wang Can took a stack of printed flyers from a cardboard box.
“If that sounds acceptable, you can hand out a hundred flyers first and give it a try. If you’re satisfied with it, come back and see me.”
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